Melissa B Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 My dd needed to raise her math score two points - she raised it four! :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 My dd needed to raise her math score two points - she raised it four! :party: Awesome!!! My son (a senior next year) raised his composite score by 1 point, putting him in possible contention for a 2-year scholarship at the college he wants to attend! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Congratulations to both of your kids (and you both too, of course - you made it possible)! I hope all Hive kids get great news today... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) Thank you for the heads up. I can't believe that ds's scores are ready on the first day. Last year, it took much longer. Ds's math score (his strongest subject) dropped 1 point. :blink: Actually, it's his lowest sub-score. :tongue_smilie: He raised his composite score by 5 points, though. :thumbup1: Ds took the writing portion for the first time this year. He worked with a tutor on writing for several weeks before the test. What is a decent writing score? Edited June 25, 2012 by Sue in St Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in PA Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Very proud of my dd. She did well! She will be thrilled not to have to take them again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Congratulations to all the kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenC Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Great news for us! Dd is at camp for the next three weeks, but she will be so excited!:party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 :party: Congratulation to all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Thank you for the heads up. I can't believe that ds's scores are ready on the first day. Last year, it took much longer. Ds's math score (his strongest subject) dropped 1 point. :blink: Actually, it's his lowest sub-score. :tongue_smilie: He raised his composite score by 5 points, though. :thumbup1: Ds took the writing portion for the first time this year. He worked with a tutor on writing for several weeks before the test. What is a decent writing score? No drop, but math (definitely his strong suit, along with science) came up the least and is now his lowest score! Can't complain all around, but :blink: Excellent on the five points! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 What is a decent writing score? Ah. I figured it out. According to their table: Score Combined English/Writing Writing 12 8 99 11 5 99 10 4 99 9 2 94 8 1 86 7 1 51 6 1 37 5 1 11 4 1 7 3 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 – Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherAtticus Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 WOO HOO!!!! 26s in CR, M, Sci 34 in English!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Wow! That was fast. We can't get younger dd's, because she tested standby, but older dd's are there. Max in Reading/English, but lower in Science/Math. Which would be great, except she wants to go into a science/math field. :glare: Does the score at the top include writing? Her essay score was lower than on the SAT, but we didn't specifically review ACT writing. It said she didn't discuss counterarguments, which you don't do in SAT essays, so I think we will need to go over the ACT writing guidelines a bit before next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 My daughter took it for the first time and did excellent! I am so proud of her, she has worked so hard!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 WOO HOO!!!!26s in CR, M, Sci 34 in English!!!! Congratulations!! :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 My daughter took it for the first time and did excellent! I am so proud of her, she has worked so hard!!!! Yay!! I know you said she was working hard, and it's great when it pay soff for them!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Yay!! I know you said she was working hard, and it's great when it pay soff for them!! :D :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dani3boys Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 We just got the scores for my oldest ds who just finished 9th grade. He scored well in math, English and reading, but not as well on science. What can we do to get his science score up? His composite score was 30, so I'm not complaining. It would be great if he could improve, and I would like to know how to best help him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 We just got the scores for my oldest ds who just finished 9th grade. He scored well in math, English and reading, but not as well on science. What can we do to get his science score up? His composite score was 30, so I'm not complaining. It would be great if he could improve, and I would like to know how to best help him. The science section doesn't really test science that much (background knowledge is helpful, of course.) It is more the ability to read and comprehend scientific text, graphs, etc. Dd says that the test prep books helped her the most, plus practice in reading textbooks over the past few years. I have also seen recommendations to have dc read scientific articles each week, which she does anyway. I think I will start analyzing them *with* her now, though (her science score was just pretty good.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValRN Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 What scores are considered average, good, great for the ACT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 What scores are considered average, good, great for the ACT? The national average score was 21. In Florida, a 26 gives you a partial scholarship to state schools while a 29 gives you a full scholarship. I would imagine one would need something above 32 (or 99th percentile) to have a chance at some of the more competitive colleges in the nation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValRN Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Thank you for that clarification. DS scored a bit above the national average but not well enough for a full scholarship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 What scores are considered average, good, great for the ACT? As mentioned, the average across the nation is 21, but what scores are considered average, good, and great depend highly upon the school and/or scholarships desired. For some students, a 30 is awesome and they are celebrating with scholarships. For others, it's devastating and it's highly questionable if they'll make it in to their school of choice. It's all highly dependent upon goals. Even with my three boys, I have different scores in mind for "good" and "great." It's all based upon what they want to do and what they are capable of. My bottom line? I celebrate when people are happy with their scores and sympathize when they aren't. It can be the same score. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in NE Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I feel as if I've accidentally wandered into Lake Wobegon! Aren't there any "average" children represented on this board!? :) Congratulations on all the excellent scores! My dd raised her scores, but she is not in the stratosphere! Just working hard and doing her best. She is disappointed, though. She had hoped to do better, and the scores she got on the Princeton Review practice tests were much higher than those on the actual test. She plans to test again in September...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in PA Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I feel as if I've accidentally wandered into Lake Wobegon! Aren't there any "average" children represented on this board!? :) Congratulations on all the excellent scores! My dd raised her scores, but she is not in the stratosphere! Just working hard and doing her best. She is disappointed, though. She had hoped to do better, and the scores she got on the Princeton Review practice tests were much higher than those on the actual test. She plans to test again in September...... Hi Jackie :seeya: Here is average! My dd did well on her ACT as I posted above. Not in the stratosphere but well enough to get into the local state university which is her choice. She does not want to retake them as she is content with what she scored. She was totally average in math and science and did well in the English/writing and reading. Exactly what we expected to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I feel as if I've accidentally wandered into Lake Wobegon! Aren't there any "average" children represented on this board!? :) Congratulations on all the excellent scores! My dd raised her scores, but she is not in the stratosphere! Just working hard and doing her best. She is disappointed, though. She had hoped to do better, and the scores she got on the Princeton Review practice tests were much higher than those on the actual test. She plans to test again in September...... I'm not quite sure how to respond to this other than to say, yes, I think the HIVE has more kids above average whose parents post (not necessarily lurk) on here. I work in an average (actually, slightly below average) public high school and the true average numbers (21) are definitely correct. Since some of us with those above average (academically - not in "worth") don't care to have our kids flounder in public schools, we opt to homeschool. And then, when we're looking for aids to homeschooling, we find the Hive. Then we post on it trying to glean and share info. It can be tough guiding some of these upper academic kids when one has to also be the guidance counselor. But believe me, academic talent is just like any other talent (music, sports, art, whatever). Everyone is good at something and there are plenty of niches out there to be found. A specific talent for something in no way means someone is "better" than someone else overall. It's part of why what is "good" and "great" scores for these tests depends so much upon the person and their goals. I'll rejoice with those who rejoice and hope for better with those who hope for better regardless of the actual scores involved. There's no need to compare. And for those who have academically talented kids, I'll congratulate them just as much as I would a sports or music star. They ought to feel free to beam! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) I'm not quite sure how to respond to this other than to say, yes, I think the HIVE has more kids above average whose parents post (not necessarily lurk) on here. I work in an average (actually, slightly below average) public high school and the true average numbers (21) are definitely correct. Since some of us with those above average (academically - not in "worth") don't care to have our kids flounder in public schools, we opt to homeschool. And then, when we're looking for aids to homeschooling, we find the Hive. Then we post on it trying to glean and share info. It can be tough guiding some of these upper academic kids when one has to also be the guidance counselor. But believe me, academic talent is just like any other talent (music, sports, art, whatever). Everyone is good at something and there are plenty of niches out there to be found. A specific talent for something in no way means someone is "better" than someone else overall. It's part of why what is "good" and "great" scores for these tests depends so much upon the person and their goals. I'll rejoice with those who rejoice and hope for better with those who hope for better regardless of the actual scores involved. There's no need to compare. And for those who have academically talented kids, I'll congratulate them just as much as I would a sports or music star. They ought to feel free to beam! The problem I have w/this view is the idea that test scores actually represent "talent" for anything other that standardized testing. ;) My kids aren't great standardized test takers, yet they are all high academic achievers. It reminds me of the conversation I had w/a mom whose ds made a 36 on the ACT and went to the same university that back then our oldest was planning on attending. Our ds was just having a friendly conversation w/her when he told her that he was planning on attending that university and majoring in chemical engineering. She looked him straight in the eye and told him he better pick a back up major b/c her 36 scoring ds could not pass their engineering courses. Well, nothing to brag about ACT scoring ds graduated near the very top of that uni's chemE class. I'm sure that our 11th grader's ACT and SAT scores this yr are not going to be very "top" b/c he reads and writes so slowly. But, the kid is super-bright. Edited June 27, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) The problem I have w/this view is the idea that test scores actually represent "talent" for anything other that standardized testing. ;) My kids aren't great standardized test takers, yet they are all high academic achievers. It reminds me of the conversation I had w/a mom whose ds made a 36 on the ACT and went to the same university that back then our oldest was planning on attending. Our ds was just having a friendly conversation w/her when he told her that he was planning on attending that university and majoring in chemical engineering. She looked him straight in the eye and told him he better pick a back up major b/c her 36 scoring ds could not pass their engineering courses. Well, nothing to brag about ACT scoring ds graduated near the very top of that uni's chemE class. I'm sure that our 11th grader's ACT and SAT scores this yr are not going to be very "top" b/c he reads and writes so slowly. But, the kid is super-bright. IME those who naturally test well (no prep necessary for any sort of academic test, standardized or otherwise) at some point run into a "wall" where they get to something they don't instantly understand. This, for many, happens in college. These students, when they hit the wall, don't know what to do as they've never experienced having to actually work to learn something before. Some figure it out and some give up. It's impossible to tell ahead of time who will be in which category. My guess is the 36 student you saw hit his wall and couldn't function. His 36 was based upon high school knowledge, not things like Calculus that engineers need extensive knowledge of. He had the math basics to move on to Calc (and higher), but who knows if his brain could instantly understand it - and if not - would he work to understand it? Then, could he do Calc and Engineering Fundamentals and college level Chem, etc, all at the same time? Add in his newfound freedom and it could all easily add up to falling behind, then realizing catching up wasn't going to happen. It doesn't mean he wasn't academically at the top of his game near the end of high school. A high score never guarantees success. If that were true, scores would be all colleges would want to see. They aren't. They are just one aspect. However, I've never seen a student who worked for their top scores not do well in college or life without extenuating circumstances (medical, love, etc). I can't say it has never happened, of course, but students who work to do well tend to continue that path and they know how to do it whether in college or on the job. I agree that test scores do not show work ethic. One college adcom told me he liked to see kids who tested more than once and improved their score each time. That showed him work ethic. (This was in response to my question asking if taking the ACT again with an already terrific score would hurt my guy - my guy wanted to chase perfection.) He said with just one score he can't tell if the kid was naturally talented and potentially hadn't hit his wall (not all hit walls, but many do) or worked hard to get a good score to begin with. I can say at school that the correlation I see each year is the better the academic foundation/knowledge, the better the scores. As kids "study" for the test, they actually learn more in the process. I have never seen someone score well who didn't know the basics well. However, you can't tell work ethic from a score. Plus, of course, it only "works" for math and English (even the science is reading really). And, as you mentioned, it does hinder the slower processer (like my youngest). That is one situation difficult to correct for. Edited June 28, 2012 by creekland rewording some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovemy4kids Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 We are one of the average families too.... One DD will probably test "average" as in a 21 or 22 when she gets to the ACT. SMART kid, doesn't test well at all. OK, I confess she's pretty normal. :) DS, going into his sophomore year just got his scores back for his first ACT attempt as a freshman and got Composite 26 English 25 Mathe 24 Reading 26 Science 28 He tests better than his sister, but still not stellar like alot of the kids here. Honestly I have no idea if he scores are good or not, we just took the test because someone said you can take it alot of times and I wanted him to see what it is like. We found a great test prep company the week of the test and I think that helped a lot! Sometimes it can be so discouraging to read about all the bright kids here, but I try to remember that MY kids are doing the BEST they can and no matter what happens, they will be fine. Maybe they won't get a scholarship, maybe we will have to work along with them to pay for a state college, but either way, things will work out. The point is, don't be discouraged, just keep on plugging and know that you are doing your best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Anyone wishing to see where scores rank (percentiles), here's a link: http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html A 26 composite is top 84th percentile - hardly shabby and while it won't get someone into most selective schools it's a decent score for many schools out there and really great at others (scholarship level). The vast majority of kids at my high school would be thrilled with that score and entertaining merit offers from schools they tend to go to. The 28 in science is 93rd percentile (top 10 percent). I would never call either of those bad scores. They may not meet needs for certain paths, but they aren't bad scores. A student has the ability for a great academic future with them. Congratulations! Oh, and those scores/percentages are for recent graduates - not sophomores... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Oh, and those scores/percentages are for recent graduates - not sophomores... ;) Yep. Those aren't average scores, especially for a freshman. Your posting them may have the opposite effect you say you intended. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovemy4kids Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Just got back home from California and checked the thread. Glad to hear that ds scores are good, the ACT was new test for us. My dd will be a completely different ballgame. She doesn't do well on tests, she's pretty average. Usually the 70th + percentile, she hit 83rd this year on the Stanford tests, but that was a first. So I'm pleased with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Congratulations to both of your kids (and you both too, of course - you made it possible)! I hope all Hive kids get great news today... :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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